Minister calls for scholarship programme to promote fine arts

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood on Friday stressed the need for a scholarship programme to promote fine arts.

Chairing a meeting of National Endowment Scholarship for Talent (NEST), he noted that the subjects of fine arts were being totally neglected and advised to introduce “the Fine Arts and Culture Scholarship Programme” and the amount of scholarship should be handsome enough to meet all incurring expenditures.

The minister also suggested bringing the Nursing Scholarship Programme to strengthen the nursing profession through provision of financial assistance to talented nurses for Bachelor in Nursing (BSN) and Master in Nursing (MSN) program.

He called for shifting focus on Intermediate Scholarship Programme and enhancing the size of allocation for inter-level students.

This scholarship programme will focus on orphans, special students, children of martyrs and affectees of any natural calamity, he said, adding likewise a slab would be specified for least developed districts.

The minister also instructed to pay special attention for awarding scholarships to erstwhile FATA and Balochistan.